Also, they make about the worst fries on the planet.Either soggy, nasty lifeless, tiny things or, if you ask them to actually, you know, cook them, they're just as bad.

Omg, thank goodness I'm not the only one who hates their fries. I will go out of my way to go get Carl's Jr. fries because the In N Out ones are so horrible. Unfortunately, I am the only person in my group of friends who is of this opinion, so I have to keep my mouth shut when we do lunches together.

However, I will have to try this. I love animal-style, so this is right up my alley. Though, swap the "spread" for gravy, and you've got poutine. I should write them a letter.

Also, they make about the worst fries on the planet.Either soggy, nasty lifeless, tiny things or, if you ask them to actually, you know, cook them, they're just as bad.

The secret to the Fries is that they don't blanch their fries. Which is why they have that lifeless, soggy, sort of sullen texture.

Fries, to become crisp and lovely, need to get that moisture out of that 'tater. Which is why most places blach the fries first. Not in water, but in oil. It forces some of that pesky water out, and when allowed to cool--as the fries will continue to steam--you then drop the bastiches in 350 degree oil, and you get crispness.

Straight from the cutter and into oil, you are getting a sodden mess. Which is why I pass on the suckers.

hubiestubert:Bob Falfa: urger: Dude, everyone knows about the In & Out secret menu.

True dat.

Also, they make about the worst fries on the planet.Either soggy, nasty lifeless, tiny things or, if you ask them to actually, you know, cook them, they're just as bad.

The secret to the Fries is that they don't blanch their fries. Which is why they have that lifeless, soggy, sort of sullen texture.

Fries, to become crisp and lovely, need to get that moisture out of that 'tater. Which is why most places blach the fries first. Not in water, but in oil. It forces some of that pesky water out, and when allowed to cool--as the fries will continue to steam--you then drop the bastiches in 350 degree oil, and you get crispness.

Straight from the cutter and into oil, you are getting a sodden mess. Which is why I pass on the suckers.

hubiestubert:Bob Falfa: urger: Dude, everyone knows about the In & Out secret menu.

True dat.

Also, they make about the worst fries on the planet.Either soggy, nasty lifeless, tiny things or, if you ask them to actually, you know, cook them, they're just as bad.

The secret to the Fries is that they don't blanch their fries. Which is why they have that lifeless, soggy, sort of sullen texture.

Fries, to become crisp and lovely, need to get that moisture out of that 'tater. Which is why most places blach the fries first. Not in water, but in oil. It forces some of that pesky water out, and when allowed to cool--as the fries will continue to steam--you then drop the bastiches in 350 degree oil, and you get crispness.

Straight from the cutter and into oil, you are getting a sodden mess. Which is why I pass on the suckers.

It's just food, does it matter what it actually is? Just eat something, anything and get on with your day. When did we become so picky that one form of protein is acceptable yet another, incredibly dissimilar one is unacceptable?Go grab some cous-cous, pour some hot water on it, sprinkle some salt & pepper on it to aid the saliva and you're done and ready for more important stuff.Food is fuel, not a lifestyle choice.

YoOjo:It's just food, does it matter what it actually is? Just eat something, anything and get on with your day. When did we become so picky that one form of protein is acceptable yet another, incredibly similar one is unacceptable?Go grab some cous-cous, pour some hot water on it, sprinkle some salt & pepper on it to aid the saliva and you're done and ready for more important stuff.Food is fuel, not a lifestyle choice.

What's a Monkey Style burger, you ask? It's a burger stuffed with Animal Style fries (french fries, cheese, grilled onions and spread). Go ahead and let that sink in for a moment.

Yeah, okay, we get it. At In-N-Out, you just can order off the normal menu and enjoy a tasty meal, or you can ask them to slap a bunch of stuff off their normal menu together and call it secret so you feel like you have some sort of insider knowledge. Know this: it's stupid, especially the above "Monkey Style". Burgers come with spread and cheese, and you can ask for grilled onions (OMG SEKRIT!) so all you're doing is adding a gloppy mess of overkill to what is a decently proportioned burger.

Here in the OC we have a 5 Guys and an In-N-Out within 3 minutes of each other on Beach Blvd. After doing a number of taste tests I can definitively say In-N-Out is far superior. 5 Guys burgers aren't even as good as Jack in the Crack.

And, even if you order the smallest size, you still get half a bag of them.

QFT. My wife and my in-laws go to Five Guys monthly -- and one small order of fries will suffice. Back when I worked at a bike shop, we'd get a large and it'd cover every employee in the store for a solid five minutes of shark-style feeding frenzy.

YoOjo:YoOjo: It's just food, does it matter what it actually is? Just eat something, anything and get on with your day. When did we become so picky that one form of protein is acceptable yet another, incredibly similar one is unacceptable?Go grab some cous-cous, pour some hot water on it, sprinkle some salt & pepper on it to aid the saliva and you're done and ready for more important stuff.Food is fuel, not a lifestyle choice.

hubiestubert:Bob Falfa: urger: Dude, everyone knows about the In & Out secret menu.

True dat.

Also, they make about the worst fries on the planet.Either soggy, nasty lifeless, tiny things or, if you ask them to actually, you know, cook them, they're just as bad.

The secret to the Fries is that they don't blanch their fries. Which is why they have that lifeless, soggy, sort of sullen texture.

Fries, to become crisp and lovely, need to get that moisture out of that 'tater. Which is why most places blach the fries first. Not in water, but in oil. It forces some of that pesky water out, and when allowed to cool--as the fries will continue to steam--you then drop the bastiches in 350 degree oil, and you get crispness.

Straight from the cutter and into oil, you are getting a sodden mess. Which is why I pass on the suckers.

That is interesting. We have a bar here in Urbana (Murphy's, any UIUC grad knows it) and they cut all the fries fresh, AFAIK. They have a ton of fresh potatoes on hand and the fries still have the skin when you get them. They just have the can crusher style press, put a potato in and pull the handle and bam, fresh cut fries. Their fries are always crispy and fantastic and I can't see a bar operation taking a second step in making fries. So my two questions are 1) how long does that additional step take and 2) is the crispiness also affected by how slender the fry is, ie, the surface area to volume ratio? Genuine curiosity.

Bacon mega, please. And for all the kids who don't remember when they were just Murphys before expanding into the old bw3, get the hell off my lawn.

hubiestubert:Bob Falfa: urger: Dude, everyone knows about the In & Out secret menu.

True dat.

Also, they make about the worst fries on the planet.Either soggy, nasty lifeless, tiny things or, if you ask them to actually, you know, cook them, they're just as bad.

The secret to the Fries is that they don't blanch their fries. Which is why they have that lifeless, soggy, sort of sullen texture.

Fries, to become crisp and lovely, need to get that moisture out of that 'tater. Which is why most places blach the fries first. Not in water, but in oil. It forces some of that pesky water out, and when allowed to cool--as the fries will continue to steam--you then drop the bastiches in 350 degree oil, and you get crispness.

Straight from the cutter and into oil, you are getting a sodden mess. Which is why I pass on the suckers.

I have made my own fries before and strongly disagree. The blanching done by most restaurants is for shipping. They can't cut the potato, freeze and ship it, they blanch it for preserving it during shipping. The blanching has more to do with the starches in the potato. The starch changes during refrigerating or freezing which is why you shouldn't refrigerate your potatoes. Only partially or fully cooked potatoes can be refrigerated or frozen. Since most restaurants don't want the hassle of paying a crew to cut fries everyday at each location, they prepare them off sight. Before blanching process, restaurants did cut and cook on sight.

OscarTamerz:Here in the OC we have a 5 Guys and an In-N-Out within 3 minutes of each other on Beach Blvd. After doing a number of taste tests I can definitively say In-N-Out is far superior. 5 Guys burgers aren't even as good as Jack in the Crack.

See, I don't understand this. What is it about In-N-Out that you all love? I've gone a few times and it is barely any better than McDonald's. I'll take Five Guys any day of the week, especially for the Boardwalk style fries they have.

06Wahoo:OscarTamerz: Here in the OC we have a 5 Guys and an In-N-Out within 3 minutes of each other on Beach Blvd. After doing a number of taste tests I can definitively say In-N-Out is far superior. 5 Guys burgers aren't even as good as Jack in the Crack.

See, I don't understand this. What is it about In-N-Out that you all love? I've gone a few times and it is barely any better than McDonald's. I'll take Five Guys any day of the week, especially for the Boardwalk style fries they have.

Five guys is definitely better. In-n-out just uses quality ingredients and decent cooking methods so it makes it an attractive place to eat. In terms of 'fast food', I prefer Five Guys, then In-n-out, and then never touch the other crap (Carl's, Sonic, Checkers, McDonalds, Burger King, etc...). Oh, and even though Chick-fil-a is full of bigots, I still prefer some of their items.